I’m seeing this often enough that it feels like a trend.

Many UL policies issued in the 1980s and 1990s included special guarantees: persistency bonuses or a step-up in the minimum guaranteed interest rate after a set number of years in force. I’ve seen step-ups as high as 0.5% to 1.25%, which can add up substantially when compounded over decades.

These features were marketed as rewards for loyal policyholders. But in practice, I’ve seen cases where the carrier never applied the higher minimum or bonus. Why? It could be outdated admin systems, mergers and acquisitions, simple neglect, or bad faith.

If you own one of these “vintage” UL policies, it’s worth checking whether you’re actually receiving what the contract promised. If not, the shortfall caused by the contract breach can be very significant.